


RA(d)

by hgryles



Series: Meet Cute College AU's [1]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, freshman luke, hermit crabs, ra ashton
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-25
Updated: 2014-11-25
Packaged: 2018-02-26 23:06:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2669756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hgryles/pseuds/hgryles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ashton's the hot RA looking for contraband substances. Luke's one of a billion of other freshman who Ashton has busted… He is, however, the only one who, instead of vodka or weed, like most normal freshman, was caught with having pet hermit crabs. Ashton's a bit smitten.</p>
            </blockquote>





	RA(d)

A loud banging on Luke’s dorm room door startled him out of his stupor; Luke hadn’t invited anyone over, and to his knowledge neither had his roommate. Luke shared a confused look with his roommate Calum, who lay opposite from him in his own twin bed. Calum was swaddled in his comforter and looked half asleep. Luke gestured with his eyes towards the door, questioning towards it with his head. Calum shook his head and Luke could read the silent, “Can’t you get it?” Calum was mentally transmitting. Luke sighed, taking pity on him and his damn puppy dog eyes, regretfully leaving his own cocoon of blankets to get the door.

Luke hastily reached for his iPhone, lowering the playlist he had blasting from shit speakers he had bought after his good one’s he had gotten last Christmas were stolen from his dorm. The stranger started knocking again, this time (if possible) at an obnoxiously louder level of thumping.

“Give me a minute!” Luke shuffled over to the door, shivering after leaving the warmth of his bed, crossing his arms over his shirtless chest in a futile attempt to make himself warmer. Luke hurled the door open, maybe a little harder than necessary, and grunted out an irritated, “Yes, okay, what is so important?”

And wow, Luke immediately regretted his rudeness. Because standing at his door, one arm still raised to knock, was a really fucking good-looking guy. Like classic-American-movie-surfer good looking, with his wavy blonde hair and muscular arms and Jesus how was he so tan summer has been over for months and- “What’s so important is a mandatory room check. I’m your RA.” Luke’s RA had a very unimpressed look on his face, which in Luke’s opinion did not do his pretty features justice.

Luke watched as his RA extended one hand in greeting. Luke could feel his face flushing red as he promptly took his RA’s hand. “Right. Yeah. Um, sorry, I figured you were someone else. Come on in.” Luke held the door open for the RA, which the other boy came on through, not before rolling his eyes and muttering “freshman.”

Which. Okay. Don’t be an RA if you don’t want to hang around with freshman? Luke thought this other boy was being very unfair to him, messing with his rapidly developing crush by being a total asshole.

Calum sat up quickly when he realized that not just Luke was coming into the room, having been listening to the conversation from his bed. Calum looked rather irritated with the RA as well, Luke felt justified. 

“Right. So as I'm sure you’ve both gathered, I’m your RA. My name’s Ashton and you would be, ah,” The RA looked down at the clipboard he was holding, “Luke and Calum?”

Calum nodded in confirmation, satisfying Ashton, who continued, “Great. Nice to meet you Luke and Calum of 305. Well I’m here to do my first of many surprise room checks. I’m just here to confiscate any alcohol or illegal drugs or any shit like that. There’s a bunch of other stuff but I highly doubt you guys have, like, a dog in here.”

Luke let out a nervous laugh. He watched as the guy, Ashton laughed too a bit and began writing down something on his clipboard. Luke made nervous eye contact with Calum, who’s eyes widened as he realized the issue. Ashton’s joke had hit surprisingly close to the target; Luke and Calum didn’t have a dog exactly… Just a couple of hermit crabs.

Harmless hermit crabs that they took great care of and had smuggled into their dorm room after Luke and Calum had bought them together on break. Luke’s had a green shell and was named Luigi. Calum’s had a red shell and he had named his Mario. Their hermit crabs were their biggest fans while playing Mario Kart. Fuck, they might have screwed up.

Ashton slipped his pen back into the top of his clipboard, “If either of you have something you want to declare now you’ll make my job a whole lot easier. I was once a freshman too; I know all the hiding spots. If not you can both go ahead and wait outside while I look around.”

Luke wasn’t about to admit to smuggling in hermit crabs. By the look of it Calum wasn’t either. Luke feigned a casual tone, “Trust me, we don’t have any alcohol in here. Especially not drugs. You really don’t need to bother looking about.”

Ashton just raised an eyebrow. “You know that makes you seem more suspicious, right? Go on, out with the both of you. I promise you’ll be able to buy more vodka, this is a college campus after all.” Ashton snorted and continued, “With the amount of booze I’ve confiscated today I’m considering opening up a liquor store.”

Calum laughed loudly, but Luke was getting increasingly desperate. He couldn’t lose Luigi. Not like this.

“Well if you’re looking for alcohol you’re definitely in the wrong place. Cal and I are actually pretty busy too, maybe you could do your rounds and come back to us last? Really. No alcohol here. I swear on my mothers grave and if you knew me at all you’d know that is a very serious promise.”

Calum backed up Luke with a solemn nod. Bless Calum. Luke loved Calum.

Calum spoke up, “Luke’s so far up his mom’s ass it’s like he’s trying to go back into the womb.”

Luke hated Calum. Luke let out an indignant snort of protest, “Fuck you Calum! Don’t talk about Liz like that! See if you get invited round again at Christmas hols, you’re never going to be able to have her sweet potato casserole again.”

Calum rolled his eyes. “Please. Liz loves me, she asks me round when you’re not even home.”

“Both of you! Quit stalling, good lord. I just want to finish up these rounds and get back to my room. I have schoolwork too, you know.” Luke had semi forgotten the dorm RA was still there, looking simultaneously well on his way to pissed off and hot as fuck. Luke said a silent apology to his hermit crabs and began a shuffle out of the room side by side with a sheepish looking Calum.

“Can I at least grab a shirt?”

Ashton looked smug, standing in the door way to their dorm room, the two boys efficiently ejected in the (very cold) hallway.

“Hell no.” Luke could feel the door slam.

Luke melted onto the floor, head in hands with a deep sigh. Calum sank down next to his roommate, one arm strung over Luke in comfort. Calum laid his head on Luke’s shoulder and gave his arm a sympathetic pat.

“Maybe he won’t even notice them.” 

Luke lifted his head to glare at Calum. “Of course he’ll notice them! We didn’t exactly do anything to hide them. Luigi will never forgive me. What kind of a parent let’s their child be confiscated from them by a RA?”

Calum was very obviously holding back laughter, opting for another sympathetic pat.

“Luke, c’mon. I mean I love Mario too, but they’re just hermit crabs?” If looks could kill, Luke swears Calum would be dead right now. He thought they were in this together. Luke hissed out between clenched teeth, “Well, you’re just a massive dickhead!” Calum did laugh out loud this time. He playfully cuddled further into Luke who had gone stiff as a board. “Takes one to know one, dickhead.”

Luke and Calum stayed like that for a few moments, listening to the sounds of the dorms around them. It sounded as if 309 was having a raging party. Luke considered warning them about Ashton’s rounds, but if Luke couldn’t have hermit crabs then screw room 309’s party. Wasn’t like they invited him anyways. Luke may have been a bit bitter about his hermit crabs doomed fate.

Luke looked up as he heard the door to the dorm being reopened. Ashton stood in the doorway holding a familiar cage with a look of disbelief on his face. “You’re fucking with me, right?” Ashton shook the cage a bit for emphasis. Luke winced.

“Oh. I see you’ve met our, um, other roommates. Lovely conversationalists, those are.” Calum said, seriously. Luke snorted out a laugh. Calum shot him a glare.

Ashton shook his head condescendingly, and Luke may have been deceiving himself, but was that a fond expression? “You know we have a no pet policy though, right?”

Luke decided to feign innocence. “I read the dorm rules! It doesn’t say ‘no hermit crabs’ anywhere in there.”

“Hermit crabs are pets!”

“My hermit crabs are family! And family means no one gets left behind!”

Ashton brought a hand that wasn't holding onto the hermit crab cage to his face, groaning in defeat. “Look, I’m sorry, Lilo. But I have to take these two illegal borders with me.” Ashton finished under his breath, “Lord knows what I’ll do with them though.”

Luke looked down at his feet in surrender. “Just make sure they get taken care of, okay? Luigi likes to take his meal at seven, and change his water regularly!”

Luke heard the cutest giggle of his life, and looked up confused.

That noise had come from grumpy pants RA Ashton, who was full on giggling now, and had these amazing dimples come out. Of course Ashton’s adorable giggling had Luke even more upset. How dare Ashton come into his dorm, wreck the home he had built with Calum, and then concurrently be the sexiest and the cutest person Luke had ever seen.

Luke got up, arms crossed, offended. Luke watched as Ashton’s eyes flickered down to his torso, stopping laughing abruptly, and was that interest Luke saw? Luke smiled, pleased. He walked over closer to Ashton, their eyes locked.

Luke placed his hand over the one Ashton had on the cage handle, “Can I at least say goodbye?” He asked.

Luke’s question broke Ashton out of his trance. “Fine, freshman.” Ashton agreed, exasperated. He passed Luke the cage with both of his hands, which were quite big and he had the longest fingers, which Luke immediately wondered what would feel like inside of him. He immediately blushed at the random thought, annoyed with his eighteen year old hormones. Luke took the cage gratefully and went back over by Calum.

Luke placed the cage on the ground and Calum and him took off the top carefully, placing it on the ground next to the cage. Calum reached in and grabbed his crab, laughing a bit at the feeling of the crab tickling his palm. “I’m going to miss these little guys. Who will I high five when I come in eleventh on rainbow road? Luke? You know he’s got nothing on your little claws.” Luke agreed, but still took on a look of mock hurt.

“Please, you know Luigi is a much better roommate then you can ever be, Cal. At least Luigi never locks me out of the dorm and refuses to let me in.”

“He would too if he could, Luke. He would if he could.” Luke just pushed Calum in retaliation. 

Hey!” Calum protested. “I have a delicate creature in hand! You could be a bit more gentle.”

Luke saw a strange look on Ashton’s face as he watched the both of them from the doorway. Something fond, and something else. Luke decided to take a risk with hot RA. “Do you want to come hold him?”

“No! Er, no thanks. I’ll take them in cage please.”

Luke smirked. Ashton seemed frightened of his teeny hermit crab. “Are you scared of holding hermit crabs? They don’t pinch… hard.”

“Of course I’m not scared! I’m 20 years old, I can handle a hermit crab.” Ashton seemed to be trying to convince himself as much as Luke. This just made Luke and Calum laugh harder.

Calum cut in saying, “Well if you’re not scared, why don’t you come hold Luke’s?”

Ashton shook his head, a bit desperately. “I don’t see why that’s necessary. I’ll just take these, in the crate, and be on my way.”

Luke saw an opportunity and he took it. Reaching inside of the hermit crab container and scooping up his Baby Luigi, he determinatively walked over to Ashton. Ashton grimaced a bit at the sight of the approaching crab but held his ground, choosing to look at Luke’s face rather than the crab in hand.

Luke boldly reached out and pulled one of Ashton’s ridiculously big hands out into his own. Looking down at his hand and the older boy’s Luke felt a pleasant flush at the size difference. Luke thought that loosing Luigi might almost be worth getting to hold hands with the hot RA, but immediately felt a bit guilty and mentally apologized to his hermit crab. 

Carefully, Luke placed Luigi right into Ashton’s upturned palm. Luke watched Ashton’s breath hitched a bit and squeezed his eyes shut. Luke was careful to hold back his silent laughter, completely endeared by his new favorite occupant of the dorms.

When Ashton realized that the crab in his palm wasn’t attacking him, wasn’t even moving actually, he released the breath he didn’t even know he was holding, visibly relaxing. Opening his eyes he looked down at his and Luke’s hands enclosing his own where the crab was placed in his palm. Luke liked the feeling of Ashton’s hand in his own, and loved how tiny Luigi looked in Ashton’s oversized hand.

Ashton let out another endearing giggle when Luigi tentatively began exiting his shell, having been frightened into hiding during his trip from Luke’s hand into Ashton’s. Luigi starting to crawl about in Ashton’s palm only made the RA laugh harder, making Luke crack an infatuated smile. Ashton saw the look on the taller boy’s face, and returned a shy smile back. Then, a look of triumph passed over Ashton’s face.

“I told you I wasn’t scared! Look, I’m doing great.”

“Only after I had to force Luigi into your palm! I literally had to hold your hand, you big wimp.”

Ashton’s pout was totally not adorable. “Watch who you’re calling wimp, wimp. You’re the only freshman, like, ever, that got busted by the RA for hermit crabs. Not even something cool like, cocaine. Hermit crabs are the dorkiest things ever.”

“Hermit crabs aren’t dorky! They’re badass. And punk rock,” said Luke, indignantly.

Ashton snorted. “Hermit crabs are not punk rock.”

“They are too. Back me up Cal.” Luke looked back over his shoulder at his roommate, who was attempting to text one handed while he held his hermit crab haphazardly in the other hand. Calum looked up from his phone, confused. “Wait, did you ask me something?”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Keep up, Cal. Tell Ashton hermit crabs are punk rock.”

“Excuse me for not wanting to keep up with your awkward attempts at flirting, “ said Calum, flippantly. “But yeah, of course hermit crabs are punk rock. I mean, I own one. I’m the definition of punk rock.” Calum explained.

Luke could feel himself flushing from his face down to his neck. He shuffled his feet, looking down at the ground. “Wasn’t awkwardly flirting,” he protested meekly.

“That’s a shame.” Luke snapped his head up, surprised at Ashton, who was grinning slightly, a hint of his dimples back on his face. Luke instantly lit up smiling, completely delighted by the older boy.

“Here,” Ashton said, dumping Luigi carefully back into Luke’s hands, “take him back and put them both in their cage."

Luke nodded, listening, walking back over to where Calum was sat to put Luigi back in his cage along with his hermit crab brother Mario.

Ashton continued explaining, "I need to take them back to my room for now until I can talk to my advisor. We didn’t cover what to do when confiscating hermit crabs, to be completely honest,” Ashton said, laughing slightly. “I do feel bad, you know. These hermit crabs really weren’t affecting anyone. Maybe I could talk to my advisor about letting you keep them?” Luke thought his heart might be about to burst with happiness. Apparently the RA (maybe) having a crush on you came with perks.

“No promises though,” Ashton added, as an afterthought.

Luke rushed over from where he had been crouched. He wrapped his arms around Ashton’s middle, effectively trapping Ashton in a tight cuddle. Luke buried his head in the shorter boys neck, having to bend down a bit. Luke loved their slight height difference, normally he hated how tall he was, but Ashton was tall himself and Luke barely had to bend down at all. Luke bet gleefully that he would never get all cramped up from bending down when they made out, a definite bonus for when he inevitably got Ashton to make out with him.

Luke inhaled deeply from Ashton’s neck, nuzzling it slightly and let his lips barely brush over the skin there, hearing Ashton's breath hitch a bit as he did so. Ashton smelled like clean laundry and something woodsy and something else that could only be described as boy, and when Luke breathed out, “thanks Ash,” lips barely brushing the older boy’s ear, Ashton let out the cutest little squeak that Luke committed to memory immediately, hoping that he could make Ashton make that noise again in the future, wondering what the other noises he could draw from Ashton would sound like.

“Alright, alright, let go of me you big tree,” Ashton laughed, pushing weakly at the boy attached to him. Luke let out a sound of distress, upset with being detached from his cuddle prematurely. “How about you come help me put these hermit crabs back up in my dorm?” Luke agreed immediately, delighted.

“How about you Calum? You can come, too. To say goodbye to, uh, Mario? That’s his name right?” Ashton asked.

Calum got up from his place on the wall, brushing off the dirt on his ass that had collected from sitting on the dirty dorm hall floor. Calum mock considered, saying, “I would, but I just remembered I have no desire to third wheel.” Calum brushed past Luke and Ashton, clanking their shoulders rudely and said, “Use protection,” before slamming the door in their faces. Luke hated Calum.

Luke grimaced awkwardly at Ashton. “Don’t mind him. He’s just having withdrawals from Mario. He pretends he’s punk rock, but I’ve seen his twitter timeline. 99 percent of it is pictures of puppies.”

Ashton just laughed, and grabbed Luke’s hand, pulling him in the direction of what Luke guessed was his dorm room. Luke followed, dumbstruck, with a running stream of, “he’s holding my hand, he’s holding my hand, holy fuck, his hand is like twice the size of mine, fuck, fuck,” rushing through his head. Luke wondered how he got so lucky with RA's. Luke loved college.

By the time they made it halfway down the hallway a more coherent thought came to mind. “Uh... Ashton?”

Ashton kept walking, looking forward, “yes, Luke?”

Luke came to a halt, forcing Ashton to pause and look back at him. “We forgot something.”

Ashton looked confused for a minute, but Luke could tell the exact moment he remembered by the pink blush on his cheeks and the silent ‘o’ his mouth formed. “Ah, fuck it. How could we forget the hermit crabs?” Ashton complained, loudly, rushing back in the direction of Luke’s dorm room. Luke let himself be pulled behind Ashton, hand in hand, laughing loudly. 

Breathlessly, Ashton slowed to a stop outside of Luke’s dorm. Luke could hear Ashton grumbling slightly to himself, obviously annoyed with himself for forgetting exactly what he was supposed to be bringing to the dorm. Luke was just proud that he made the hot RA totally forget he was supposed to be taking contraband items back to his dorm, not (hopefully) fuck-worthy freshman.

Scooping up the hermit crab crate in one hand, Ashton purposefully began walking back in the same direction. “Don’t mind that first trip, that was just a bit of exercise. Wait, no! I had to make sure you were paying attention! That’s it. Don’t worry, you were, you passed. Congratulations. Now we can go to my dorm.”

Luke let out a giggle, and Ashton seemed pleased. He took Luke’s hand and walked them forward again, this time choosing to stay in line with Luke. Luke can’t say he minded. “Got everything this time?” Ashton asked, jokingly.

Luke let out a loud gasp, stopping Ashton by extending his arm across his torso like a mother saving her child when breaking too fast in a car. “Now that you mention it, I did forget something!” Luke exclaimed. “Really, it’s super important.”

Ashton groaned, expecting some terrible joke on his behalf. “Don’t tell me you need to go to the bathroom?”

Luke smirked, crowding up to the older boy and making him take a few confused steps back.

“Don’t worry, dad, I peed before I left.”

Ashton hit the wall of the dorm hall with a thump. He cocked an eyebrow at Luke, bewildered at what the taller boy was talking about. His hazel eyes were wide from the proximity and flitted from Luke’s face to his eyes to his chest in an inconsistent loop.

“What is it then?” Ashton challenged, desperately trying to gain control back from a conversation he didn’t know how it had started.

Luke grinned predatorily, wrapping a hand on the side of Ashton’s curved hip. “Just…” Luke leaned forward, and watched as Ashton’s breath caught in his throat, saw the moment when his blonde eyelashes lay flat against the expanse of his cheek.

Luke pressed his lips to Ashton’s in a chaste kiss, adding more pressure as he went, as he had been dying to since the older boy had barged into his room earlier that day. Ashton keened into Luke’s mouth, exhaling, and luke took that as an invitation to move, capturing Ashton’s lower lip between his own and applying suction. When Luke bit into Ashton’s lower lip and drew back, Ashton let out the most amazing desperate noise and Luke couldn’t help ruining the kiss a bit by grinning a bit, pleased with himself. “That.” Luke finished, smug.

Ashton was smiling too, looking a mixture of pleased and exasperated. He pulled Luke back in to their kiss by threading a hand into Luke’s hair, forcing his head back to press his lips into his own, and swept his tongue over Luke’s lower lip. He seemed particularly fixated on Luke’s lip ring, much to Luke’s pleasure.

Ashton had Luke panting into his mouth in no time, desperate to be closer and wanting more and when Luke pressed his body into Ashton’s expecting to rub up into his groin, “Aw, shit.” Luke groaned. Luke had desperately pressed his pelvis straight into a hard plastic made crate of hermit crabs.

Ashton laughed so hard he had to sit down.

Luke pouted the whole ten minutes it took Ashton to stop.

But when Ashton brought Luke to the outside of a generic white dorm door, identical to Luke’s own, except the gold metal numbering of Ashton’s read 155, the crabs didn’t find a way to interrupt the two as they picked up where they left off.

This time, it was Ashton’s RA advisor.

**Author's Note:**

> ashtons hair is short here okay this is my fucking au and ash will have cut his damn hair  
> i love cake in this also i love cakes oo i could go for some cake rn (terribly unbeta'd i apologize)  
> please kudos// comment // hmu yay!!


End file.
